CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC Has $792,000 Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 24.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 397 shares during the quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 2,160.0% in the second quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 113 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE CAT opened at $397.48 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $385.77 and its 200-day moving average is $355.46. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $246.01 and a one year high of $418.50. The firm has a market cap of $191.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The firm had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.52 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st were given a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total transaction of $1,119,081.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 33,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,750,181.12. The trade was a 8.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 12,657 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.25, for a total value of $5,192,534.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 71,107 shares in the company, valued at $29,171,646.75. This trade represents a 15.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,774 shares of company stock valued at $8,233,034. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Caterpillar from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays raised their target price on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $365.33.

Caterpillar Profile

Caterpillar Inc manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in worldwide. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, compactors, road reclaimers, forestry machines, cold planers, material handlers, track-type tractors, excavators, telehandlers, motor graders, and pipelayers; compact track, wheel, track-type, backhoe, and skid steer loaders; and related parts and tools.